"You Better Watch Out" (1980)

What is it about Christmas that brings out so much sexual frustration in the horror genre? And is it intentional? I like to think that it is, and the only way the industry knows to retaliate in the overtly wholesome winter wonderland created by mainstream media. I thought after Black Christmas holiday carols would never sound the same again, and you know what? I was right. They took on an eerie, unnatural quality. Now I guess I'll be looking at jolly Ol' Saint Nick in a whole new light. Or maybe I should say shadow-Ominous, child molesting shadow to be more exact.
"You Better Watch Out," was actually entitled "Christmas Evil" in the free movies section on my OnDemand. I'm not really sure why this is, or why movies change titles in any case, I'm assuming for most it has something to do with copyright infringement which I know nothing about and have no desire to google at the moment. With this B-rated flick however I have my doubts, partly because both titles have different release dates. I'm thinking this movie did so unbelievably bad with it's first release that someone decided to re-release it with a different title hoping to trick all us avid horror movie watchers into thinking it was not in fact the 100 minute douche-chill generator we would most likely remember from years earlier, which is unfortunate because it's actually quite watchable regardless the name. The fact that every poster I've seen for this movie is illustrated doesn't do much to sway my thinking that there was/is some intentional deception tied to the marketing of this film. Never the less, it made it's way into my living room as so many abominable slashers do, and just in time for Christmas, too. Aren't you the lucky bloggers.
Ok, so I'll get to the summary. Whatever this movie may be called it begins with a young boy, Harry, witnessing his mom and Santa fooling around one Christmas Eve. No, they didn't make a slasher based on a Jimmy Boyd song from the 50's, unless there's a version I haven't heard that goes "I saw mommy kissing Santa Claus... then brutally murdered four people thirty years later while delivering presents to handicapped children." Needless to say, Harry was more than a little affected by the scene being performed in front of the family Christmas tree when he was supposed to have been in bed... Or was he?
I realize I've given this movie a bit of a negative spin, and it's probably well-deserved. It's got some pretty corny acting and a pace slower than an ice cream truck passing a weight watchers meeting. However you might be surprised to hear that I, along with John Waters, in fact loved this movie. It's surprisingly complex and unpredictable, with no clear antagonist until the final scene of the movie, which also reveals a twist so unexpected for me I began to watch the movie again as soon as I had finished it. An all around pleasant surprise for someone sick to death of knowing how a horror film will end within the first 10 painful minutes. I would even go so far as to recommend this movie, only it would be better watched as a morbid and off-center indie flick instead of the bloody slasher it was billed as.

I would give this movie a 7.0/10, and am once again disappointed by the lower ratings of my fellow movie reviewers. I would have to agree with John Waters on this one, "(You Better Watch Out) is the best Christmas movie ever made."